Do you race against men?

Yes  racing is one sport where women and
men compete directly against each other on a level
playing field. Racing is still a physical sport,
but things such as stamina, mental focus and
reflexes are just as important, so you need the
whole package rather than brute strength.

How do you prepare for races?

In Formula 3, along with most national
categories, the number of practice days is
restricted to try and keep costs down. We are only
allowed 8 practice days each year, which
doesnt give you a lot of seat time. We
therefore have to do as much preparation outside
the car as possible.

I try to train every day, whether it be running,
cycling, swimming, boxing or weights  boxing
is my favourite! That hopefully keeps me physically
fit enough and strong enough so that when Im
racing, I dont get tired and can keep focused
on the things happening around me on the race
track.

What do you enjoy most about racing?

There are so many things I love about racing:
the fact that every single time you drive is
different from the last time, be it different
weather conditions, different track or different
competitors, you never know what is going to
happen!; the way the car feels when you get a
corner or lap just right; the adrenalin rush when
youre on the starting grid waiting for the
red lights to go out

How can I start racing?

Check out the Confederation of Australian Motor
Sport website (www.cams.com.au)
for tips on how to get started in motor racing
 no matter what your age or experience there
is a category for you!

Results

1993

After growing up around motor sport
(Leannes dad has always been heavily involved
in motor racing), Leannes sister Belinda
began racing karts in early 1993. After becoming
bored simply going along to watch her sister,
Leanne decided to give driving a go in about
November of the same year. As soon as Leanne got
behind the wheel, she was hooked and so began her
racing career.

1994

Leanne won her first race

1995

NSW Junior J Champion

1996

NSW Senior J Champion
QLD Intercontinental A Champion (Intercontinental A
is an international category run in all countries
that race karts and considered the highest level in
Australian karting)
Runner up  Australian Intercontinental A
Championship
13th  World Cup, Suzuka Japan

1997

Leanne made the step up into Formula Ford and
became the youngest ever female to do so.
Leanne attended Jim Russell Racing Driver School in
Donington, England. Was named Most Promising
Pupil of the school.
Leanne raced in two rounds of the Porsche Cup,
qualifying on pole position in both rounds and
finishing 2nd in the races.

1998

Leanne contested her first full season of the
Australian Formula Ford Championship

1999

Leanne contested the Australian Formula Ford
Championship, finishing 7th outright in the
championship

2000

Leanne contested the Australian Formula Ford
Championship for the final time.

Round 1  Leanne became the first female
ever to win a round of the Australian Formula Ford
Championship.

Leanne finished 3rd outright in the
championship, becoming the first female ever to
finish on the podium of a CAMS (Confederation of
Australian Motor Sport  the governing body of
motor sport in Australia) national championship
Leanne drove in the 2hr Showroom Showdown at
Bathurst in a Holden Astra with Rick Kelly,
finishing 2nd in class.

2001

Leanne contested the Konica V8 Supercar
Series.
Round 1  Leanne finished 2nd, becoming the
first female ever to stand on the podium of a V8
Supercar race
QLD 500  (Part of the main V8 Supercar
Championship) Leanne finished 12th
Bathurst 1000  Leanne was entered for the
race and practiced, but her co-driver was involved
in an incident before she had a chance to race

2002

Leanne changed to a newer team for the 2002
Konica V8 Supercar Championships.Whilst the team
showed pace, mechanical failures stopped the team
from achieving the desired results

2003

With a lack of funding preventing Leanne from
competing in any national series, Leanne decided to
concentrate on finishing her university degree, a
Bachelor of Commerce, and getting back to the level
of racing where its all about having fun.
Leanne raced a series II RX-7 her dad built in a
club series called Improved Production,
which is for production cars that have had limited
improvements in the areas of engine performance and
suspension. Leanne had some success in the class,
winning the Interstate Challenge,
qualifying on pole position for the nationals and
winning the majority of individual races she
contested.
In June, Leanne was given the opportunity to race
the factory backed Daihatsu Sirion in the
Queensland round of the Australian Production Car
Championships. Her successful run saw her called up
again for the Phillip Island round in August and
also for the 2hr Showroom Showdown at Bathurst in
November, where it looked like she and her
co-driver Rick Bates were in a good position for a
class win until Leanne was put into the wall at
Skyline (the corner at the top of Mt Panorama) by a
faster car.

2004

Australian Production Car Championship
Leanne was given a fantastic opportunity to contest
the entire Australian Production Car Championship
(APCC) in a factory Toyota Corolla. Round 1, 20
March, at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide was a
disappointing result, with engine management system
problems hindering any chance of doing well.
Round 2, 18 April, at Oran Park was a much
different story. After spending time developing
both the cars handling and its engine,
Leanne qualified pole position for her class and
won the first race outright. The second race saw
Leanne finish 2nd outright, but still the clear
winner in her class.
After another 5 rounds with strong, top 5 finishes
in each, Leanne finished the series 3rd outright in
the Championship and 1st in her class.
Improved Production
As well as racing for Toyota in APCC, Leanne still
raced her dads RX-7 in Improved
Production.

2005

Improved Production
Leanne was the 2005 NSW and Victorian State
Champion in Improved Production.
In May, Leanne was given the opportunity to get
back into an open-wheeler with a drive in round
three of the Formula 3 Championship at Phillip
Island.
Having never before driven a Formula 3, Leanne
steadily improved over the weekend, qualifying 8th
and then finishing 5th in both races. Leanne and
the team were extremely happy with the results.
Having really enjoyed her drive in Formula 3,
Leanne was inspired to enter round 7 of the
championship when the category supported the A1
Grand Prix at Eastern Creek in early November.
After practicing well on Friday (Leanne was 5th
fastest in the second practice session), Leanne was
disappointed to qualify 9th for race 1 and 8th for
race 2. However, Leanne moved forward in both
races, finishing 8th in the first race and 4th in
the second, taking the honour of being the first
2001 model car over the line.
Leanne has now purchased a 2004 model Opel-Spiess
powered Dallara in which she will hopefully contest
the entire series in 2006. Her first run in the car
will be at Eastern Creek, December 2  4, when
she competes in the final round of the 2005
Australian Formula 3 Championship.

2006

Leanne finished 5th outright in her first full
season of the Australian Formula 3
Championship.